One of the most important decisions you will make when planning your wedding, and one of the most commonly asked questions you’ll receive is what colors you have chosen to use. It isn’t always as simple as choosing your favorite colors (what if your spouse hates them?), and you don’t necessarily have to limit yourself to just two. Wedding designers are encouraging brides to choose three or four colors that work well together, creating a broader palette with which to decorate. Your colors are an essential part of your wedding and reception, and you want them to reflect your personality and style, but sometimes it’s difficult to hone in on exactly which ones to choose. Here are some tips from wedding planners and professionals to help you choose the wedding colors perfect for your special day.

Reflect the season

Let the season inspire your choice of colors and decorations. If your wedding will take place in winter, you may want to use ivory, silver, and greenery, with a touch of cranberry as an accent color. Decorate with items readily available in winter, such as pine boughs and pine cones, holly leaves and berries, potted poinsettias, and silvery ribbon. Or go bold with deep, contrasting tones such as dark eggplant, raspberry, and gold.

Let your venue set the tone

It’s best to have a color palette in mind when you begin your venue search, but you may want to have a second choice in mind, just in case. If you find a venue that you love, but it clashes with your colors, you can change a color or two, or switch to your second choice so you don’t waste time and money trying to distract from the fact that your colors don’t match the setting. If you find the venue before settling on a color scheme, the venue colors can help you decide on a color palette for your big day.

Create a mood with color 

You can help create a mood for your wedding day through the use of color. Think about the atmosphere you want to surround yourself and your guests, and what color combinations can help evoke that mood. Strong jewel tones and dark colors like black, emerald, ruby red, and gold are dramatic, while sage green, champagne, pale pink, and silver lend themselves to a softer, gentler vibe. For a nostalgic or retro-themed wedding, black and white, red and white, or robin’s egg blue and bright pink can be fun combinations.

Check out your closet

Our clothes say a lot about the colors we love, and the colors that dominate your closet are a good place to start if you’re stuck for inspiration. Chances are, if your drawers are full of pastels, you wear them because you love them, they make you feel good, and they look good on you. Use your wardrobe as a starting point for choosing your wedding colors. If you love them on your body, you’ll most likely love them on your wedding day.

Relax

Just because everyone else wants to know what your wedding colors are doesn’t mean you should feel pressured to choose them. There are no “right” colors for a wedding; what is right is what you like and what helps create the vibe you want. Color doesn’t have to be the pivotal decision some people make it out to be. It’s true that your choice of color will influence a lot of your wedding decisions such as flowers and bridesmaid dresses, it should be seen as a guideline rather than a rule. Your wedding does not have to be color coded! Instead, think in terms of showcasing your personal style, whether you are going for casual or formal, texture, and mood, in addition to color.

When you’ve decided on your wedding colors, let the planning begin! Shop our selection of wedding invitations that complement your theme here.